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A high-level meeting was held in Gandhinagar on Saturday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to ensure proper management of drinking and irrigation water in the state. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi also joined the meeting via video conference.
During the meeting, three important decisions were taken to ensure adequate water availability for farmers during the Kharif season through the Sujalam-Sufalam Yojana and the Narmada canal network. Accordingly, the State Government has decided to provide 5,000 cusecs of water from the Narmada Project for 20 days for irrigation in the Mahi Command area. Through Link-1 of the SAUNI Yojana, Narmada water has been supplied to Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts, which received the least rainfall, since August 19, 2026. It has now been decided to continue this water supply for an additional 10 days to protect the standing crops. In addition, 2,000 cusecs of water from the Narmada Project has been supplied to North Gujarat through the Sujalam-Sufalam Pipeline Yojana since August 19, 2026. The State Government has decided to continue this water supply for another 15 days. In view of the potential impact of the prevailing El Nio conditions in the state on rainfall and water availability, the meeting held a detailed discussion on the status of irrigation and drinking water. The Chief Minister directed that drinking water requirements be given priority if adequate rainfall does not occur in the coming period and reservoir inflows do not increase. He also instructed officials to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted drinking water supply in urban and rural areas, especially in water-scarce and vulnerable areas. He directed concerned departments and district officials to continuously monitor the water situation, use available water resources efficiently and wisely, and take necessary steps for proper water management. According to the CMO, the State Government is continuously monitoring rainfall, reservoir water levels and the availability of water. The Chief Minister directed that necessary decisions be taken as needed based on the situation, keeping the larger interests of farmers and the people of the state in mind. He also appealed to citizens and farmers to use water efficiently and support water conservation efforts. (ANI)
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